Police watchdog calls for end to recording non-crime hate incidents
The police inspectorate has supported calls for a change in approach, moving away from officers investigating social media posts.
Sir Andy Cooke says police need to ‘act with common sense’, as he claimed there is ‘no longer a need’ for non-crime hate incidents to be recorded in the way they are.
The comments come as his annual state of policing report is published, just days after the arrest of Father Ted creator Graham Linehan at Heathrow Airport, over a series of anti-trans tweets.
After backlash, the head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley, while defending the actions of his officers, suggested he would present the new Home Secretary with a proposal to stop officers having to investigate tweets, when there is ‘ambiguity’ about intent to cause harm.
Sir Andy Cooke told reporters he would back that move, saying arrests which are perceived by the public to be a ‘mistake’ are hampering confidence.
He said: “We need to allow people to speak openly without fear that their opinion will put them on the wrong side of the law.
“We need to look again at the policy around this. It places the police in an invidious position.
“I believe non-crime hate incidents are no longer required. Intelligence can be gathered differently which causes less concern to the public.”
Sir Andy pointed to comments he made in 2022, when he said ‘police aren’t the thought police,’ adding that he still agreed with that sentiment.
The inspectorate’s annual report also highlighted a need for the government to invest heavily in policing, warning there would be a missed opportunity to reform the way forces tackle key priorities like knife crime and violence against women.
“There is less and less time for policing to be proactive. It’s far more bureaucratic,” he said.
“You get a lot of duplication of effort and forces trying to reinvent the wheel. If a force has a great idea it should be replicated.
“If the government wants to ensure the reforms they’re suggesting - which will be revealed in a white paper in the next couple months - there needs to be funding to kickstart that reform.
“We need a significant amount of upfront investment to do that and I’ve not seen any indication that there will be that upfront funding.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to start the reform that policing needs and it will be a missed opportunity.”
The changes proposed by the Home Office are expected to include plans to build a National Centre of Policing, to coordinate and streamline things like IT systems and procurement across the 43 forces in England and Wales, while rolling best practice out nationally.
Sir Andy also warned that police chiefs need to ’focus on getting the basics right’ to continue to grow public confidence.
“Crime is down but that doesn’t matter when the public doesn’t feel safe,” he said.
His report suggests just 39% of people are confident police will respond to local issues, with 48% saying the police do a good job.
“It’s stable, but it’s too low,” Sir Andy added.
Emily Spurrell, chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said: “Concerns persist about the impact of financial pressures on delivering the Government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee and the effect of an inexperienced workforce on investigations and outcomes for victims.
“These are concerns many PCCs share.
“PCCs agree that while centralization can bring benefits, it must be balanced with flexibility to meet local needs and supported by adequate funding and oversight.”
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